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Starting PointsResearching Legal Careersby Barbara Swatt Engstrom IntroductionPutting some time into background research is one of the most important steps in successful job hunting. Before you approach potential employers, you should have a solid understanding of the main aspects of the practice area and a general understanding of what attorneys in that specialization do. Acquainting yourself with the emerging issues in the field will allow you to focus the information in your resume and cover letters on matters that will make your application stand out from the crowd. This legal research guide will provide resources that will help you think about your legal career both in the broad sense and in terms of specialization. It also provides resources for alternative careers and non-legal careers that benefit from having a JD.
Legal Careers in GeneralDirectories: National Association for Law Placement, NALP
Directory of Legal Employers (BAR-BRI Group 2002) Martindale
Hubbell Law Directory (Martindale Hubbell 2005-) LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Career Development > The Martindale-Hubbell Directory Books: Christen Civiletto Carey, Full
Disclosure: The New Lawyer’s Must-Read Career Guide (ALM Pub. 2001) Susan Echaore-McDavid, Career
Opportunities in the Law and Legal Industry (Facts on File 2002) Carl Horn III, Lawyerlife:
Finding a Life and a Higher Calling in the Practice of Law (ABA 2003) Hilary Jane Mantis & Kathleen Brady, Jobs
for Lawyers: Effective Techniques for Getting Hired in Today’s Legal Marketplace
(Impact Pub. 1996) Schulyer M. Moore, What
They Don’t Teach You in Law School (F.B. Rothman 2001) Kathy Morris & Jill Eckert, Direct
Examination: A Workbook for Lawyer Career Satisfaction (ABA 2001) Kathy Morris, Objection
Overruled: Overcoming Obstacles in the Lawyer Job Search (ABA 2000) Kathy Morris, Ask
the Career Counselors: Answers for Lawyer’s on Their Lives and Life’s
Work (ABA Career Resources Center 2003) Gary A. Munneke, Careers
in Law (VGM Career Books 2004) Gary A. Munneke, The
Legal Career Guide: From Law Student to Lawyer (ABA Law Practice Management
Section 2002) Gary A. Munneke, Opportunities
in Law Careers (VGM Career Books 2001) Kathryn A. Plonsky, Balancing
Law and Parenthood: Part-time Careers in the Law (The Graduate Group 1999) Deborah Schneider, Should
You Really Be a Lawyer? The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During &
After Law School (Niche Press 2005) Kimm Alayne Walton, What
Law School Doesn’t Teach You – But You Really Need to Know: Expert
Tips & Strategies for Making Your Legal Career a Huge Success (Harcourt
Legal & Professional Pub. 2000) Kimm Alayne Walton, America’s
Greatest Places to Work With a Law Degree: And How to Make the Most of Any Job,
No Matter Where It Is (Harcourt Legal & Professional Pub. 2000) Kimm Alayne Walton, Guerrilla
Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams (Harcourt Legal & Professional
Pub. 1995) Web Sites: American Bar Association Career Counseling Center Martindale Hubbell Legal Careers National Association for Law Placement Law.com Career Center (check out the Advice for the Lawlorn column archives) LexisNexis Career Development Library: Legal > Reference > Career Development Legal Careers by Area of PracticeLisa L. Abrams, The
Official Guide to Legal Specialties: An Insider’s Guide to Every Major
Practice Area (National Association for Law Placement 2000) Admiralty and Maritime LawDirectory: Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Admiralty; database identifier WLD-ADMIR Books: William D. Henslee and Sara Vlajcic eds., Careers
in Admiralty and Maritime Law (ABA Law Student Division 1993) Web Sites: Maritime Law Association of the United States Admiralty and Maritime Law Guide Corporate / Business LawDirectories: Chambers
USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers (Chambers & Partners 2003-) American
Lawyer’s Guide to Leading U.S. Law Firms (American Lawyer Media 1999-) LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Career Development > Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory - All Corporate Legal Department Listings Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Corporations and Business Law; database identifier WLD-BUS Books: John R. Sapp, Making
Partner: A Guide for Law Firm Associates (ABA Law Practice Management Section) Suzanne B. O'Neill & Catherine Gerhauser Sparkman, From
Law School to Law Practice: The New Associate's Guide (ALI-ABA 1998) Harvard Law School, The
Insider’s Guide to Law Firms (Moibus Press 1993) Clifford R. Ennico, A
Primer for New Corporate Lawyers: What Business Lawyers Do (Clark Boardman
1990) Web Sites: American Corporate Counsel Association In-House Jobline Criminal LawDirectories: Directory
of Legal Aid and Defender Offices in the United States (National Legal Aid
and Defender Association 2003) LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Career Development > National Directory of Legal Aid and Defenders Offices Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Criminal; database WLD-CJ Books: F. Lee Bailey, To
Be a Trial Lawyer (Wiley 1994) Bradley M. Bittan, The
Public Defender Experience: A Student Career Guide Into the Heads and Hearts
of America’s “Real Lawyers” (Graduate Group 1997) Alan Dershowitz, Letters
to a Young Lawyer (Basic Books 2001) Employment LawDirectory: Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Employee; database WLD-EMPLE or Employer; database WLD-EMPLR Books: Mindy Farber, How
to Build and Manage an Employment Law Practice (ABA Law Practice Management
Section 1997) Environmental LawDirectories: Directory
of Pro Bono Legal Services Providers for Environmental Justice (ABA Standing
Committee on Environmental Law 1996) Environmental
Law Careers Directory (Ecology Law Quarterly, Boalt Hall 2001) Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Environmental; database WLD-ENV Books: Percy R. Luney Jr., Careers
in Natural Resources and Environmental Law (ABA 1987) Stuart L. Somach, How
to Build and Manage an Environmental Law Practice (ABA Section of Environment,
Energy, and Resources 2000) Family LawDirectory: Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Family; database WLD-FAM Books: Lynn M. Mather, Divorce
Lawyers at Work: Varieties of Professionalism in Practice (Oxford University
Press 2001) Government CareersDirectories: Federal
Law Related Careers Directory (Federal Reports 1994) LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Career Development > Martindale-Hubbell(R) Law Directory - U.S. Government Attorney Profiles Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Government Agencies & Programs; database WLD-GVT Books: American Bar Association, Now
Hiring: Government Jobs for Lawyers (ABA Law Student Division 1997) Richard L. Hermann, Federal
Careers for Attorneys: A Guide to Legal Careers in Over 80 Practice Fields
(Federal Reports 1991) Web Sites: LexisNexis Government Jobs Library: Legal > Reference > Career Development > Government Jobs All Washington State Department of Personnel King County Human Resources Division City of Seattle Personnel Department Intellectual Property and Patent LawDirectories: Attorneys
and Agents Registered to Practice Before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(Department of Commerce 2000; current on-line version available via library
catalog) LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Career Development > Martindale-Hubbell(R) Law Directory - US Patent & Trdmrk. Practice Profiles Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Intellectual Property; database WLD-IP Web Sites: National Association of Patent Practitioners (must be member to search job bank) ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law: Careers in Intellectual Property Law International LawDirectories: LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Career Development > Martindale-Hubbell(R) Law Directory - All International Listings Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – International; database WLD-INT Books: American Society for International Law, Careers
in International Law: A Guide to Career Paths and Internships in International
Law (American Society for International Law 2005) Bernard Koteen, Serving
the Public: A Job Search Guide: Harvard Law School's Handbook & Directory
for Law Students and Lawyers Seeking Public Service Work (Harvard Law School
2003-) Stacy M. DeBroff & Dana Bullwinkel, Harvard
Law School’s Handbook on Public International Work: A 1994 Guide to Domestic
and Overseas Public International Opportunities (Harvard Law School 1994) Careers
in International Affairs (Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
1991) Web Sites: Researching Careers in International Law: Resources in Print and Electronic Format ABA International Internships Program International Criminal Court Internships and Clerkships Personal Injury LawDirectory: Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Personal Injury Plaintiff; database WLD-PIP or Personal Injury Defendant; database WLD-PID Books: K. William Gibson, How
to Build and Manage a Personal Injury Practice (ABA Law Practice Management
Section 1997) Andrew L. Benjamin chair., Setting
Up Your Own Personal Injury Law Practice (Washington State Trial Lawyer’s
Association Legal Education Seminar 1994) David A. Middaugh & Julia A. Langley, co-chairs., The
Bottom Line: How to Start Build and Manage a P.I. Practice (Washington State
Trial Lawyer’s Association Legal Education Seminar 1988) Public Interest LawDirectories: Directory
of Pro Bono Programs (ABA Center for Pro Bono 1996) Directory
of Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Programs (ABA & American Corporate Counsel
Association1991) Vault
Guide to Law Firm Pro Bono Programs (Vault 2004) Directory
of Legal Aid and Defender Offices in the United States (National Legal Aid
and Defender Association 2003) Books: Ronald W. Fox (William D. Henslee and Sara Vlajcic eds.), Lawful
Pursuit: Careers in Public Interest Law (ABA Law Student Division 1995) Stacy M. DeBroff, The
Great Firm Escape : Harvard Law School's Guide to Breaking Out of Private Practice
and into Public Service (Harvard Law School 2000) Susan J. Feathers, Jacqueline Ortega & Janet Smith eds., Law
School Guide to Public Interest Careers (National Association for Law Placement
1998) Bernard Koteen, Serving
the Public: A Job Search Guide: Harvard Law School's Handbook & Directory
for Law Students and Lawyers Seeking Public Service Work (Harvard Law School
2003-) Sports and Entertainment LawDirectory: Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Entertainment & Sports; WLD-ENT Books: Kenneth L. Shropshire, Careers
in Sports Law (ABA Law Student Division 1990) William D. Henslee, Entertainment
Law Careers (ABA Law Student Division 1998) Gary Greenberg, How
to Build and Manage an Entertainment Law Practice (ABA – Law Practice
Management Section 2001) Trusts & EstatesDirectory: Westlaw: West’s Legal Directory – Probate & Estate Administration; database WLD-PEA Books: Daniel B. Evans, How
to Build and Manage an Estates Practice (ABA Law Practice Management Section
1999) Alternative Careers Deborah Arron, What
Can You Do With a Law Degree? A Lawyer’s Guide to Career Alternatives
Inside, Outside & Around the Law (Decision Books 2004) Federal Reports, JD
Preferred! Legal Career Alternatives (Federal Reports 1995) Donna M. Killoughey, ed., Breaking
Traditions: Work Alternatives for Lawyers (American Bar Association 1993) Gary A. Munneke et al., Nonlegal
Careers for Lawyers (American Bar Association 2006) Forrest Mosten, Unbundling
Legal Services: A Guide to Delivering Legal Services ala Carte (ABA Law
Practice Management Section 2000) David A. Robinson, Practicing
Law Without Clients: Making a Living as a Freelance Lawyer (ABA Law Practice
Management Section 1996) Changing Careers Deborah Arron, Running
from the Law: Why Good Lawyers are Getting Out of the Profession (Decision
Books 2004) Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier, ed., Changing
Jobs: A Handbook for Lawyers in the New Millenium (ABA Law Practice Management
Section 1999) George H. Cain, Turning
Points: New Paths and Second Careers for Lawyers (ABA Senior Lawyer’s
Division 1994) Salary InformationFindlaw Career Center: Lawyer’s $alaries NALP: Salaries and Compensation People FindingJudgesBiographical Resources: The American
Bench: Judges of the Nation (includes state and federal court judges) (Reginald
Bishop Forster & Associates) Almanac
of the Federal Judiciary (Prentiss Hall Law & Business) Westlaw: Almanac of the Federal Judiciary – Database Identifier AFJ Washington
Judges Book (Washington Journal) Directories: West Legal Directory – Judges WLD-JUDGE LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Biographies > Legal Biographical Information Sources Web Sites: United States Courts Interactive Map – Click on state for contact information for federal district and appeals courts Attorneys (and Judges)Directories: The American
Bar: Lawyers of the World (Forster Long Inc.) Martindale
Hubbell Law Directory (Martindale Hubbell) See also Martindale Hubble Law Directory – Lawyer’s Listing [electronic resource] Lexis also has Martindale Hubble. Go to LexisNexis: Legal > Reference > Career Development > The Martindale-Hubbell(R) Directory. Use segments narrow your search by State, Law School or Practice Area. To do a Practice Area search go to Legal > Reference > Martindale-Hubbell(R) > Area of Law Listings. West Legal Directory – WLD (narrow your search by using fields such as: State, Area of Practice or Law School). To search by Practice Area go to choose Directories and Reference Materials – then scroll down to folder that says by Practice Area. Opinions: Search for opinions that the judge or attorney was involved with. On Westlaw use the JU( ) or AT( ) fields. On Lexis use JUDGES or COUNSEL segments. Articles: Look for articles that the judge or attorney may have authored. On Westlaw use the JLR or TP-ALL database. On LexisNexis follow the Legal > Secondary Legal > Law Reviews & Journals search path. You can also use the LegalTrac, Index to Legal Periodicals or Hein-on-Line databases. To access these databases search the SU law library’s list of Electronic Databases by Title. Books: See if the judge or attorney has authored any books. To see what is available locally, first check Seattle U’s catalog. If you want to broaden your search to academic libraries in the pacific northwest, then check the Summit catalog. To do a comprehensive, nationwide search, use the WorldCat database from Lemieux Library. It is a union catalog of all the major academic libraries in the country and includes some law firm libraries as well. WorldCat is available via Lemieux library’s list of Databases by Title. When conducting your search, put the attorney or judge’s name in the author field. News Stories: Searching news databases is one of the best ways to research cases that are at the trial level and therefore not available as published opinions on Westlaw or Lexis. You can also review news stories to see if the attorney or judge has authored any opinion pieces, received awards or is involved in other, non-legal pursuits. On Westlaw use the ALLNEWS database for national searches or WANEWS database for Washington searches. On LexisNexis start with the News tab: News & Business > News > News, All (English, Full Text) for national news or News & Business > News > By Country & Region > United States > Washington News Sources for Washington news. You can also search for news stories via Lemieux’s databases. For national news use the ProQuest database and for Washington news use the Washington State Newsstand database. These databases are available via Lemieux library’s list of Databases by Title. Resume ResourcesBooks: VGM eds., Resumes
for Law Careers (VGM Career Books 2002) Richard H. Beatty, The
Resume Kit (Wiley 2003) Joan Fondel and Mary Jo Russo, Best
Resumes for Attorneys, (J. Wiley & Sons 1994) Adele Lewis & David A. Saltman, Better
Resumes for Attorneys and Paralegals (Barron’s Educational Series
1986) Web Sites: Legal Authority: Career Center: Your Resume Interviewing ResourcesBooks: National Association for Law Placement, An
Insider’s Guide to Interviewing: Insights From an Employer’s Perspective
(NALP 2002) Susan J. Bell, Interview
for Success and Satisfaction (ABA Young Lawyer’s Division 1989) David Hendrickson, Conducting
Job Interviews: A Guide for Federal Judges (Federal Judicial Center 1999) Clifford R. Ennico, The
Legal Job Interview (Biennix Corp. 1992) Joseph D. Ryan, Stating
Your Case: How to Interview for a Job as a Lawyer (West 1982) Web Sites: JurisResources: How to Master the Art of Interviewing Legal Authority Career Center: Interview Tips Business EtiquetteBooks: Sandi Gelles -Cole ed., Letitia
Baldridge’s Guide to Executive Manners (Rawson Associates 1985) Web Site: Seattle University Career Development Center
Last Updated: February 6, 2007 |
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